Davey O’Brien Award Begins Fan Vote

BY ANDRES FOCIL

FAYETTEVILLE – For the sixth straight year, fans will be able to participate in voting for the Davey O’Brien Award it was announced Tuesday.

The fan vote counts as five percent in each round of voting and is combined with the results from the Selection Committee. Fans are invited to cast their vote for the nation’s best quarterback as often as once daily at VoteOBrien.org. Voting for the semifinalists is open until Noon CT on Oct. 21.

All 124 FBS quarterbacks are eligible for the award until the list is cut to 16 semifinalists Oct. 22. From that list of 16 semifinalists, fan voting will reset and run until Noon CT on Nov. 18 and the three finalists will be announced Nov. 19. Voting for the winner will close at Noon CT on Dec. 2, and the winner will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards show on ESPN Dec. 6.

Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson was named to the Davey O’Brien watch list this season after he was a semifinalist in 2011, his first season as a starter. In this year’s season-opening 49-24 win vs. Jacksonville State, Wilson broke the UA record for passing yards in a season opener with 367 and tied the school record for a season opener with three passing touchdowns. He now owns 11 school records, including career completion percentage at 63.2.

Wilson leads the SEC and ranks third in the NCAA in pass efficiency with his rating of 221.21. He leads the SEC and is tied for fifth in the NCAA with his average of 367.0 passing yards per game. He also leads the conference and is fifth in the country with an average of 12.17 yards of total offense per play. His 365.0 yards of total offense per game are the most in the SEC and ninth in the country. He also leads the SEC in yards per attempt at 13.59, which ranks second in the NCAA, and yards per completion, 19.32, that is third in the country. His completion percentage of 70.37 ranks third in the conference and tied for 28th in the nation.

Members of the Davey O’Brien National Selection Committee are asked to vote for a NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) quarterback who embodies the attributes of football legend Davey O’Brien. As such, they are asked to evaluate each candidate on the criteria of his quarterback skills and athletic ability, academics, character, reputation as a team player, leadership and sportsmanship.

To keep up with Wilson and the Arkansas football postseason awards campaign follow @ARKTD2012 on Twitter.